That Had Been Love
by YunCyn
Summary: A 4in1 vignette special in honour of Valentine's Day. : So, what're the boys thinking on the night of Feb 14th?


**A/N:** You knew this was coming, right? (smile) Remember, everyone, Valentine's Day is about universal love, not just the romantic kind. So give your family hugs! Give your friends hugs! Give your pets treats! And hugs!

(cough) Anyway... Happy Valentine's Day to all of you and keep on loving with every bit of your heart and soul. :)

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**Disclaimer: **GB, as much as it is spiraling towards tragedy and gloom and diverging far from when our heroes used to be happy dorks the readers dearly loved to hug and hit at the same time...

Doesn't belong to me and belongs to Rando Ayamine and Yuya Aoki.

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YunCyn presents, in honour of Valentine's Day...

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**That Had Been Love**

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_February 14th, 9.42 p.m _

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Kazuki didn't think of love that often.

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But he knew it was there. Curiously, in the times where he thought about it, he thought of love as a weapon, so strong that it was nearly visible like the strings he controlled. Yet, it was so much subtler, binding people together and connecting them unlike the threads within his cat bells. There were things that the Fuchoinryuu would not stand up to… not even the mighty force of lightning Ginji-kun possessed nor the powerful illusionary powers in Ban-san's eyes could possibly overtake this emotion.

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And then, unwittingly and quickly, the thoughts would turn to the people he loved, cherished and would fight to the last drop of blood for; and his view of love changed.

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There was his late family, the people whom he kept in a special place in his heart even if it didn't seem to show. Their spirits seem to blaze through him and the Fuchoin heir knew they were watching over him.

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Love was a great honour, tightening the ties of family even beyond the grave.

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There was his best, oldest friend, Juubei. What would he do without the loyal, stoic doctor? Regardless of his inability to understand the jabs of humour, Kazuki thought of it as just a part of him. He was grateful beyond words towards the blind man, for his support, for his steadfast friendship that wouldn't bend.

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Then love was an immense gift, one that he planned to treasure in the friendship and brotherhood he had.

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There was MakubeX, Shido, Emishi, Ginji… The old connections that bound all of them together in Lower Town ran strong. Even Ban-san, whom he had battled against, there was a connection there. They were friends through the blonde ex-emperor of Mugenjou, and Kazuki mostly, didn't regret that strange tie he had forged with the Jagan wielder.

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At that point when they came to mind, it appeared that love was larger than all of them, drawing them together in ways only those in heaven could understand.

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And there was her. The one who had saved his life once… the one he had so easily fallen for… the one who had taught him the final lesson that love was never what you thought it was.

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The door creaked open upon his soft knocking.

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"Yes?"

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Kazuki watched the puzzled face suddenly light up with joy as she noticed the small and unobtrusive bouquet lying in front of the door. Made out of three short-stemmed peach coloured roses, several fern leaves and baby's breath, it was tied together with a small light pink ribbon.

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Ren picked up the flowers, wondering yet smiling as she breathed in the scent of the roses. He watched her with a smile of his own as she disappeared behind the door again.

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He'd willingly wait until it was the right time to approach her. There would be a few years but he would wait. Even if it took forever, he could wait before showing her just how he really felt about her.

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But right now, it seemed that love was in the little things that expressed more than anything he could say.

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_February 14th, 10.28 p.m _

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Shido felt love more than he thought about it.

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In his younger days, as he trained under the elders of his family, love was something the Maryuu took to like breathing. It was natural like the forests they lived in and the animal they befriended. His friends, his family… they were part of what he loved and he didn't think it would ever change.

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Then, in one fell swoop, his family was violently snatched away. And he was forced to run.

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But he wasn't alone. His other extended family, the guardians of the sky and the keepers of the earth, ran with him, making sure he wasn't alone, keeping extra pairs of eyes out for danger. They were loved and the feeling was returned. He knew it, and knew it well.

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He arrived in Mugenjou, determined to hide from his hunters and maintain anonymity.

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But much to his surprise, he met others like him in Lower Town, those who had their family taken away and those who had been abandoned. He learned there were still people he could place his trust in. The Volts became brothers, the Mugenjou residents turned into cousins and they became his new family… his loved ones.

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Then, after the alpha male of the pack, Ginji, left with the lone wolf, Midou, the pack disbanded and fell into disarray. Shido made his decision and he turned away from Mugenjou. He left to find another pack, another territory he could call his own and determined not to let anyone get near.

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But past loyalties arose again when he came across Ginji and Midou. And he took up the howl of the pack once more.

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However, there was a change that occurred when he reunited with his past leader.

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She had touched him unlike anything he knew. It was unlike the love of family, different from the love of camaraderie in the Volts and a change from his loyalty and the love of brotherhood towards Ginji.

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He couldn't understand it at the beginning and thought it to be his instincts and thought he was just succumbing to the music, like any animal would. But even after the instrument fell silent, there came an unheard melody that echoed within his heart and he knew it to be something else. For the first time in his life, love took a form, had a name and presented itself to him so simply that he was surprised. It was real and not just something he couldn't identify within himself.

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And he thought himself incredibly lucky that she somehow found him worthy enough for her to love.

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"You're being very quiet, Shido-san… what are you thinking of?"

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He turned and smiled to see Madoka's curious expression looking back at him.

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The lone wolf of the Maryuu had found his mate. Shido had promised to stay and protect her until his last breath.

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"…wolves."

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He grinned at her puzzled frown and lay his hand across hers, giving it a slight squeeze.

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It was a promise he intended to keep to the one who had taught him that love could be this real.

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_February 14th, 11.40 p.m _

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Ban had never thought about love.

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He thought about the parts of love. The qualities… the virtues that love could induce its so-called fools to have and act in, but not the whole thing itself. With any sort of love… parental, brotherly, platonic, romantic, if he thought of it at all, he used a different name. It was somewhat of an unspoken rule he'd set up and adhered to.

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Loyalty, friendship, whatever shred of honour and integrity he could see in what appeared to be a bleak future … he thought about that during the rainy nights when his partner was far away in his dreams and the sandman wasn't present.

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But he never thought about love.

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Perhaps the reason was because he didn't think that the indestructible Midou Ban, the originator of the term _"ore-sama"_, was ordinary enough to fall into such a 'trap' like love.

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But that wasn't really true. There was that unknown something that bonded him and Ginji beyond the loyalty of brotherhood and friendship. If Ban ever believed in fate and destiny, then perhaps he would imagine invisible strings connecting them in soul and spirit… both charged with the task of piecing the puzzle pieces together to form the final picture.

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Ginji was his twin, to understate and put it simply. But there it was. The blonde electric eel was his twin in some unfathomable manner and the brown haired man acknowledged, accepted and guarded that fact with everything he had.

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That was love right there.

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Then maybe the reason he didn't think of love was because he thought himself too undeserving to love anyone what with him and his curse.

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And again, that wasn't exactly correct. There was Ginji, as said earlier. Then, through the blonde, there came Paul, Natsumi, Madoka… grudgingly and gradually, with much resistance and reluctance, old Thread Spool, Samurai Boy, the Cloth Girl, Joker that was never funny anyway, that little Genius Kid… and, although he'd much rather be torn apart by rabid weasels, even the insufferable, no-good, stinky two legged creep they called beast master.

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…alright, maybe love was too strong a word. But it was close anyway.

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But even then, Midou Ban didn't think about _love_.

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_So if that's the case… _

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**_What_**_ am I doing here stirring my cup of coffee distractedly and literally thinking the word "love" over and over again in my mind while staring at her drinking her coffee after a job? _

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…_and where the hell did Paul learn to play the saxophone so well? _

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There were some agonizing moments of distress and silent argument within himself.

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And then, his heart without warning, worked in tandem with his mouth, without reference to his brain.

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"…oi, Himiko."

She turned and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He half smirked, half smiled, already rising to his feet. And with the jazzy slow song in the background, he posed his question.

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"Wanna dance?"

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_February 14th, 11.45 p.m _

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Ginji thought about love on and off, more so than his partner.

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First, he thought about how hard it had been to come across it in Lower Town where emotions were a liability and liabilities got you killed. But he had been lucky enough to find people whom he knew cared about him. Regardless of the danger, the love between the VOLTS allowed the four kings to stick together and help one another. Even after he left to start a new course of life and reunited with them again, the bond was strong and he would, with every ounce of ferocity within him, not allow it to break.

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That had been friendship, loyalty… camaraderie. That had been love.

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He remembered the first time he met "Midou-san."

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That hadn't been love. That had been distrust, suspicion… and a strange feeling that everything was about to go pear shaped.

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Afterwards, Ginji remembered the first time he met "Ban-chan."

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That had been a deeper understanding of one another's dispositions, an understanding that Ginji felt was beyond human comprehension. That had been brotherhood of the souls. That had been love.

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And then…

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He recalled meeting her.

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That had been instant attraction. That had been the knowledge she was a friend. That had been the realization that she was going to feature quite a lot in his new life outside Lower Town.

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That had been love.

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Soon, as time drifted by, in a series of subtle, unseen events, she became something different. She turned into someone he was accustomed to seeing every day and someone whom he never got tired of to see smile. Oh, that infectious, happy beam that never failed to cheer any sad faces. Or at least, cause a dark face to lighten just by that much.

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That had been a sudden feeling that things had changed once again.

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That had been love.

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So… if all of the above had been love, thought Ginji slowly.

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_What's this I'm feeling when I'm alone with her under the stars, just being at peace like this? _

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Natsumi turned and blinked concernedly at Ginji's strange expression as he looked at her. The slightly muffled sound of Paul's saxophone floated out from the half open café door behind them.

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"Gin-chan? You okay?"

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_…ah, of course. _

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Ginji smiled.

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"Just fine, Natsumi-chan. Just fine."

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This was, unmistakably so, love.

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_February 15th, 10.20 a.m _

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Hevn came into the Honky Tonk, cheerier than usual. Apparently someone had left her a crimson rose in bloom in front of her apartment door and professed to be her secret admirer.

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Granted, Sakura, Madoka, Natsumi, Himiko and any other female Emishi knew had received one but heck, an admirer was an admirer.

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She looked around at the five men already seated in various places around the café, noticed the looks on their faces and something sparked in her intelligent blonde head.

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"So…" she began with a glint in her eye and knowing grin on her face. "How was Valentine's Day?"

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Kazuki sipped his coffee to hide (too late) the smile on his face. "It was fine."

Shido was staring aimlessly into space, a strange look in his eyes. "Normal."

Ginji was smiling dreamily, casually chewing on a straw with his teeth. "Okay."

Ban was looking out the window, dark glasses hiding a certain gleam in his blue eyes. "Eh."

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She looked over at Paul standing behind the counter. He raised an eyebrow above his newspaper. Both exchanged a silent conversation then Hevn smiled and ordered a cup of coffee to go, noting in her head that not one of them were inquiring if there was a job available. Paul duly turned to brew a fresh cup of coffee, humming under his breath.

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_"I'm flying high, but I've got a feeling I'm falling,  
Falling for nobody else but you...  
You caught my eye, and I've got a feeling I'm falling,  
Show me the ring and I'll jump through..."_

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**The Ever Lovin' End. ****

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**A/NII:** Don't think I succeeded at making the love between the best friends/Volts non-shonen-ai oriented but just know that it wasn't meant to be romantic. More like the close bond twins share, y'know? Ah well...

"I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling" lyrics was written by Billy Rose, music by Thomas Waller and Harry Link. Story completed on February 14th, 8.05 p.m. Happy Valentine's Day. :)


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